Kudos, October 2014

Franklin faculty and students continue to astound with extraordinary achievements and major contributions in scholarship, research and service. As sampling from the past month:

Elizabeth Jean Reitz was among one hundred-sixty four influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors, and institutional leaders who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at a ceremony in Cambridge on Saturday, October 11.

Distinguished Research Professor of Physics and founding Director of the Center for Simulational Physics David Landau has been appointed to the Academic Advisory Council of the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Wendy Zomlefer, associate professor of plant biology, received $74,385 from the National Science Foundation as part of a $2.5 million collaborative grant comprising 12 institutions, headed by Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Professor of industrial/organizational psychology Kecia Thomas was appointed associate dean for leadership development and diversity for the Franklin College.

Wenxuan Zhong, associate professor in the department of statistics, has been awarded a $1.44 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop predictive statistical models based on epigenetic change patterns.

A national exhibition at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, is highlighting the work of two alumni and one faculty member from the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art.

Researchers in the department of psychology have developed a unique method of diagnosing the earliest stages of dementia by applying tasks commonly used to gauge levels of impulsive or risky behaviors related to financial decisions.

Melissa Harshman, associate professor in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and professor of psychology L. Stephen Miller will gain a deeper perspective on modern academic leadership as 2014-2015 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows.

The Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows program at UGA is part of the broader Academic Leadership Development Program of the Southeastern Conference.

University of Georgia researchers, led by Distinguishex Reseach professor and co-P.I. Michael Pierce have received a five-year $850,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish a glycoscience training program for pre-doctoral graduate students that will help train a new generation of carbohydrate researchers.

A team of students in the department of statistics recently won first place and $5,000 at the national SAS Analytics 2014 Conference in Las Vegas a national competition. The SAS Analytics Shootout Team from UGA is comprised of Wenbo Wu, Hejiao Hu, Linwei Hu, Lina Liao, Fei Liu, Xijue Tan, and Guannan Wang. Congratulations ot the team and faculty advisor Jaxk Reeves.

Image: Elizabeth Jean Reitz, Professor of Anthropology, signs the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Book of Members, a tradition that dates back to 1780.